Original 800 versions

[Justin Payne]

Hey all,

 

Just a quick question about the original 800. Mine, from back in the day and which came with 48K, had it's shielding on the cartridge cover. I've noticed some w/o this as well as missing those thumb locks, but instead have been replaced with just screws to keep the RAM/ROM cover on. Was this because it was a later 800 which had some cost cutting measures put into place? |
Were their any other differences besides the possible addition of the CTIA in older version?

[+DrVenkman]

Hey all,

 

Just a quick question about the original 800. Mine, from back in the day and which came with 48K, had it's shielding on the cartridge cover. I've noticed some w/o this as well as missing those thumb locks, but instead have been replaced with just screws to keep the RAM/ROM cover on. Was this because it was a later 800 which had some cost cutting measures put into place?

 

This was because when units started shipping with 48K already installed, Atari saw no need for users to open up the ROM/RAM slots to users, completely disregarding the third-party products out there that could take advantage of them, such as the Bit-3 80-column card (which I'd love to find someday!). Two of my 800's are like that, as was the one I had as a kid. My third 800 has the thumb tabs and originally only shipped with 16K; it has a third-party 32K board in one of the other slots.

 

I don't know of any other explicit "cost cutting" measures during production; all of my units exhibit similar build quality and look essentially identical inside (two foreign-made, one was made in Sunnyvale).

[Justin Payne]

So, between the, what we'll call, "Thumbscrew" model and non-thumbscrew models, are their any differences other than the ability to open it up by The Fonz method?

[+DrVenkman]

So, between the, what we'll call, "Thumbscrew" model and non-thumbscrew models, are their any differences other than the ability to open it up by The Fonz method?

 

Not that I'm aware of off-hand, aside from early examples also having CTIA chips in lieu of GTIA.

[Ransom]

Wasn't the introduction of the screw-on models coincident with the OS and RAM modules going caseless (for overheating reasons, as I recall...but cost cutting perhaps as well)?

[+DrVenkman]

Wasn't the introduction of the screw-on models coincident with the OS and RAM modules going caseless (for overheating reasons, as I recall...but cost cutting perhaps as well)?

 

Right; and those problems were worsened or created in the first place once more and more systems had 48K installed. So once the decision was made to ship with 48K, boards were produced and installed uncased, and the thumb tabs replaced by screws.

​I still have my original paperwork from my first 800 in 1983, complete with the typed Addendum to the manual that corrects the reference to thumb tabs in the manual and uses the explanation that since the machine had all slots occupied, there was no longer any need to access the slots.

[Justin Payne]

Ok. Good to know. Thanks everyone for explaining this. I'm surprised that I'm just now realizing this. I've seen many systems with the RAM/ROM cards unsheethed and I knew about the heat problems but I don't remember seeing one without the thumbscrews or maybe I had and just thought someone replaced them.

Edited June 12, 2017 by Justin Payne

[+slx]

Got a PAL 800 in late 1982 and it still came with the thumb tabs and fully encased plugin boards. Never had any plugins, however much I would have loved a Bit3 and an AXLON board....

 

Missing shielding on the cartridge door is most probably due to the adhesive foam having disintegrated and the metal part being "lost" thereafter.